This is a difficult one to rate, as I enjoyed the premise, the court intrigue and the shapeshifting magic elements. However, all of the characters were one-dimensional to me. They were all very bland and predictable. I was disappointed that our heroine was unable to make up her own mind and needed men's help and reassurance every step of the way. The romance part was not necessary in my opinion as the plot was interesting enough and unfortunately, it feels like the authors only threw it in for the sake of it, it served no purpose. I wanted to enjoy this unique fantasy setting but it ended up being meh. I am unsure whether I will continue on with this story. I was kind of rooting for the villain!